7. "Vietnamization" aimed to prepare the South Vietnamese army (ARVN) to fight alone through material support and Nixon's increased bombing campaigns. However, the 1971 invasion of Laos (Lam Son 719) was a failure, demonstrating that ARVN lacked the leade

7. "Vietnamization" aimed to prepare the South Vietnamese army (ARVN) to fight alone through material support and Nixon's increased bombing campaigns. However, the 1971 invasion of Laos (Lam Son 719) was a failure, demonstrating that ARVN lacked the leadership and spirit to execute complex air-mobile operations without U.S. ground troops. Nixon also pursued "detente" with China and Moscow, hoping to isolate Hanoi and secure a peace deal. Despite devastating "Linebacker" bombings of North Vietnamese cities, the NVA remained resilient, eventually accepting a peace deal only to await the final U.S. departure. (7)1967